Disposable Wives: Murder and Menace in Green Bay's Rural Belgian Settlement

In the quiet Belgian farming settlements near Green Bay, Wisconsin, whispers traveled faster than truth—and Jean Philippe Soquet counted on it.

He was known as the Bay Settlement Bruiser, the Belgian Archfiend, and, to some, a murderer. Over four decades, suspicion shadowed him through a series of disturbing deaths and disappearances—among them, his three wives.

Determined to uncover the truth, Pauline Villiesse—sister to Soquet’s third wife—refuses to let the past be buried. With the help of Xavier Martin, a respected translator navigating both language and loyalty within the Belgian immigrant community, she begins a relentless pursuit of justice.

Set in the decades following the Civil War, this riveting true story reveals a world shaped by faith, survival, and tightly bound traditions—where secrets are protected, reputations are everything, and justice is far from guaranteed.

Drawn from archival court records and primary sources , Disposable Wives is the true story of the women Wisconsin's justice system failed —and the woman who refused to let them be forgotten.

For readers of Erik Larson, Kate Moore, and Karen Abbott.

A masterful job of archival detective work makes for a twisted and haunting true-murder mystery. Not just a chilling trail of dead bodies, this story grapples with themes of family betrayal and the rights and abuses of women. The reconstruction of the investigation, trial, and complex involvement of the Belgian community creates a vivid and captivating story.
~Brown County Historical Society Exec. Dir. Christine Dunbar

Thought-provoking and engrossing… the tale embraces moral ambiguity, legal system failures, the rights and perceptions of women in this society… as it spins an engaging backdrop of early America’s communities and their leaders.
~Midwest Book Review

A gripping account of crime in Wisconsin’s Belgian settlement, this well-researched work provides a rich portrait of the life, laws, and traditions of the era, and the challenges of seeking justice in a new land.
~ Belgian Heritage Center